Nepal

nepalAn institutionalized agricultural extension service in Nepal began with Indian and American support in 1951 soon after the fall of the Rana Regime, and the creation in 1955 of the Department of Agriculture (DOA) under which a fully responsible Extension Division was operational through network of zonal extension offices (Ganesh Kumar et al. 2003). Between 1966 and 1995, DOA underwent a series of reorganizations through splits and mergers to form two departments (Departments of Agriculture and the Department of Livestock and Services) under which the extension services are operating today. During these years of organized extension services, Nepal witnessed several shifts in approaches to extension from the fertilizer-based green revolution type technology extension approach based on resourceful farmers, to the World Bank T&V approach in three districts of Nepal. Most of these agricultural extension delivery models were top-down in nature, and educational programs and services were planned at the DOA or Department of Livestock Services (DLS) headquarters. At present most extension activities are planned at the district level (MEAS, 2011).